This was an extremely difficult GE class. So if you do not need to take this class then do NOT take it. Every lecture consisted of contant notetaking for 2 straight hours (bring a laptop to type up the notes fast!). Though this course is mostly about memorizing all the definitions and details from the notes, it also depends on your writing skills (to be able to "persuage" the TAs that you know the material when you write your essays on the midterm/final. DO NOT MISS ANY LECTURES. Reading is very dense the latter half of the quarter, but just get the general idea and you will be fine. Go to every lecture, get general idea of the reading, and memorize all the details and you should be fine. Goodluck!

I thoroughly enjoyed this class. BUT- it is extremely difficult. If you are not thinking about majoring in communications, i wouldn't advise you to take this class, especially if you're just taking it to get rid of a GE. I worked really hard in this class. You have to go to lecture, because most of the final and midterm consists of lecture material. Take notes on your laptop, because otherwise you will get hand cramps. The material involves a bunch of memorization and on the exams you have to be very precise in your language when trying to explain a definition or concept. There is a paper, but i wouldn't do it at the last minute because if you don't do well on the midterm, you have a chance to improve your grade with the paper and the topics for the paper are pretty interesting. Get to know your TA because they will tell you exactly what they want out of you on the tests. Basically, if you want to do well in this class, you have to invest a lot of time. There are two books you have to read. The first one is interesting and an easy read. The second one is really hard to understand and very dense. He takes a lot of questions from the second book for the final and they're very detailed. It's a fun class though, and Professor Suman is a really cool guy and a good lecturer.

This is definitely a weeder class for the Comm major. I'm a Comm major so I had to take this class and it was quite a lot of work. The information and class itself is pretty interesting and Suman is a great guy, but I don't recommend taking this class if you're looking for an easy GE.
Getting a B requires some effort and getting an A is very difficult.

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Professor Suman's lectures are good. His fast-paced, content-loaded two hours pass by relatively quickly and interestingly. You will learn a low of informative, good things you usually otherwise would never know. He uses anecdotes and examples all the time, which make lectures effective. They are good, in general, if you like the material. He can be funny at times, and makes things important.

The class is alright. Be prepared to take massive amounts of notes, study with a friend, and always attend and pay attention in lecture. The workload is pretty good: not much reading (some of it is good, some of it is a bit boring and predictable), but the tests are difficult. Pay attention to detail and memorize memorize memorize! That's all you pretty much have to do: lists, etc.

TAs tend to grade pretty hard, especially on the paper and essays. You need to stand out to get an A in the class, but getting a B isn't too difficult. The subject material isn't bad, but it may depend on your preferences. I enjoyed it, but it showed me I really didn't want to be a Comm. major simply because I'm not interested in the material. It's not an easy class, and probably not worth it for a G.E. but take it if you're interested or want a challenge.

Comm Studies 10 seemed like a weeder course for the major. Otherwise it was a freshman killer course. Though it is still easy to get a b.

Pros:
subject material is interesting.
nice curve to the grades.

cons:
He is not very concerned about each individual: He has taught this class for like 10 years, but the subject material hardly changed.
essential you come to class and not miss any lecture because the lecture notes make up a good deal of the exam.

I had Professor Suman when I took the class, and he was a great professor. He joked a lot during the lectures, which were never boring. I also appreciated the help my T.A., Matt Luckett, gave me when I needed help on my paper. It was a fun class, and I learned a lot.

Great professor! Lectures were always interesting and gives tons of examples to make sure students fully digest all subject matter. From my experience, all the TAs were great too...I personally had Matt who was first and foremost a really friendly, approachable TA, but especially as a TA he always went out of his way to make sure the students in his section always knew what was going on in/out of class, grasped the concepts, and he even arranged out of his own time, not required by Professor Suman for review sessions prior to both the midterm and final for his sections. Got an A- in the class...plenty of resources available to do well in the class.

He makes boring subjects pretty interesting with his examples. He's a good professor and the class is not that hard, contrary to what most people say. Take it!

I thought I would enjoy this class. Nope. Lectures were just waaaay too long--2 hours! --for content that I felt could be condensed into an hour. It was entirely scripted. He tells the same jokes in the same places every quarter, every year. I know he's an incredibly nice guy--you can tell. And he can crack a joke--he really makes the first lecture fun since it's about dating and relationships. But after that, it's hard to stay awake in class. It was a hard class to get an A in, but easy B. For the midterm, I remember making flashcards for his entire lecture. Final was a killer because you basically had to memorize the content and author of about 20 articles in order to write the essay. Also, on the first amendment essay, there were about 20 points that he listed out one-by-one that you had to hit in order to get full credit. I've never seen an essay format like that--and it drove me nuts. Choose your t.a. carefully--they really make or break your grade.